Scraps
by S J Smith
Summary: It's been too long for you to just drop back into my life, Edward Elric. Post-Manga, future!fic. Now an Alt Reality.
1. Scraps

Scraps

S J Smith

Rating: Teen

Summary: It's been too long for you to just drop back into my life, Edward Elric.

Characters/Pairings: Winry, Edward.

Disclaimer: I am only playing with Arakawa's characters and promise to clean up the sandbox when I get done.

A.N. Written in response to a challenge regarding Ed with long hair. I'm sure this wasn't at all what the requester wanted but this is what came out.

Much thanks to D. M. Evans for suggestions and edits.

* * *

The call surprised her, coming as it did on a day with a sky so blue it seemed like, if she could just figure out how, she could go swimming in it. It had been a lazy week; too hot to work, too hot to sleep. No one wanted to even think about being fitted for automail in this kind of heat; the metal could scorch skin. Even those going through rehabilitation were reluctant to venture outside and Winry and Mr. Garfiel had often made the trips to their customers rather than the other way around.

The afternoon had sent her into a near coma, her chin tucked into her hands, her elbows on the counter. A fly buzzed in a window, the soft 'tap tap' of it beating against the glass one of the only sounds in earshot. She had been musing about how stupid the fly was – if it had moved down the window rather than continuously up, it might've gotten outside. Instead, it was trapped inside the building with her.

The shrill ring of the telephone jarred Winry from her daydreams of flying away from Rush Valley and back to Briggs and it took a few seconds for her to recollect where she was. Lifting the receiver, she greeted the caller with a decidedly unenthusiastic, "Garfiel Attelier."

"Winry?"

The sweat trickling down her spine seemed to turn to ice water, making her shiver at the sound of that voice. The receiver nearly slid from her sweat slick palm and her heart thudded, painfully hard, in her chest.

"Winry, it's me." A pause, not quite long enough for her to make out background noises. "I'm back."

"Ed?" Her mouth formed the sound of his name before she realized she'd even spoken.

"Yeah." Did he sound relieved? Another pause and this time, Winry could hear a bell clanging, the chuff of a locomotive engine, a conductor shouting, 'All aboard!' "Look, Winry, I'm coming to Rush Valley. I'll be there tomorrow, okay? I gotta go. See you soon." And the line went dead before she had a chance to respond.

Replacing the receiver in its cradle, Winry stared at the telephone the same way she'd watch a poisonous snake.

"At least," Mr. Garfiel's sweet-sounding voice came from behind her, "he's finally learned to call before showing up.

* * *

The Promised Day had come and gone. The fight had been long and bloody but in the end, Ed and Al had won. At least, that's what Winry told herself. When they'd finally contacted her to let her know it was over and they'd survived, she'd thought they might eventually tell her more.

What little Winry found out was not offered by the Elrics. She understood, sort of. War, after all, was a terrible thing. For all their experiences, Ed and Al were boys, even if they didn't always remember that fact. The two young men who greeted her at the Central City train station, therefore, were a shock. While Ed had managed to get Al's body back, his automail remained in place. "Guess this is for life, huh?" As Ed spoke, he'd given her a dry look, one Winry couldn't decipher, but her joy over seeing Al again; over both brothers living, washed away any questions she might've had.

She'd tuned up Ed's automail, replacing damaged parts, scolding him for being reckless. And Ed had just given her that same look before turning his gaze away, leaving Winry to wonder just what had happened to take away the light in his eyes.

The explanation wasn't long in coming. Not three days after her arrival and not even a half a day after she'd completed the repairs, a visitor came to the brothers' hotel room. Ling appeared at the door, surprising Winry, who hadn't realized that he was still in Amestris. Ran Fan took a place outside the door though Winry urged the other young woman inside. With a sigh, Winry closed the door behind her, hearing Ling saying something to Ed and Ed snorting in response.

"Your repairs were necessary," Ling was saying, "it's going to be a long trip across the desert."

The room seemed to twirl for an instant, making Winry forget that she wanted to ask Ran Fan if she could take a look at her automail. "What?" She looked from one brother to the other, Al squirming and Ed turning his gaze past her shoulder, as he had so often these past few days.

Ling hooked a thumb at the brothers. "I've asked these two accompany me back home and be the Amestrian ambassadors to Xing."

Even remembering those words made Winry shiver. No one had gainsaid Ling; as far as she knew, no one had even tried. Ed and Al didn't talk about it, though once it was out in the open, that they were going, Al was excited. Ed…Winry couldn't tell how Ed felt. When she'd asked why someone with actually experience wasn't going with them, Ed had shrugged broadly.

"Ling knows us. And we know him." He'd tried to explain over dinner at a restaurant that Winry had always liked, where the servers doubled as musicians and dancers, and encouraged the customers to join in. "We can make sure…he fits in back home."

"It wasn't our idea, Winry," Al had said, covering her hand with his own. Distracted by her own thoughts, she almost forgot to wonder at the sensation of his soft skin touching hers.

"Al could stay here but it's a military posting." Ed rolled his shoulders in disgust before picking up a stuffed grape leaf and devouring it in two bites.

"We'll be back soon, Winry." Al had squeezed her hand then. "It's just a year."

"Yeah, busy as you are with your clients, you won't even have a chance to miss us." Ed's smile was half-hearted and distant and Winry wondered if that statement was supposed to convince anyone in particular.

Their time together in Central was far too short, just another two days before the brothers had to be ready to leave. Winry traveled with them as far as Rezembool and offered to go on but the brothers – and the homunculus – refused to let her go any farther. "Don't worry." Ling had been in control then, somehow, Winry could tell. "I won't let anything happen to them. I'll send them back to you soon."

Communications between Amestris and Xing were difficult at best but Winry knew that Ed would have to file reports to Fuhrer Armstrong. He and Al had managed to send things to her, too; a letter from Al with little sketches of the palace and the people in it, then, from Ed, a packet containing a silk scarf that was twice as long as Winry was tall. A dragon carved out of creamy green stone and a matching necklace of gradient beads came months later, just a few weeks late for her birthday, along with a letter from Ed, grousing about how stupid politics were, no matter what country you were in.

And then, nothing.

A year passed. Winry supposed that the brothers were right – she had been busy with her clients, and she really hadn't quite gotten used to having Ed and Al in her life regularly before they left it again. She loved Ed but that didn't mean he loved her back. She'd never shared her feelings with him, thinking they'd be a burden more than a comfort when he was trying to get Al's body back and then, the last time she'd seen him before the Promised Day, it hadn't been the time. Apple pie promises notwithstanding, Winry understood that some opportunities never actually happened.

Waiting was something Winry did well. She hated it but she could set aside that emotion, just like she could set aside her feelings for Ed and the way she cared for Al. Her life wasn't so inextricably wound up with the Elric brothers that she couldn't make her way without them, after all, and she did – honing her skills and building her reputation.

In her second year of apprenticeship, Mr. Garfiel told her she'd exceeded all expectations he'd had for her. Winry thought that meant there was still more she had to learn. She wanted to be the best, known for her name, not just because she happened to be the mechanic for the Fullmetal Alchemist.

Now, Ed was back in Amestris, would be in Rush Valley in a day. Winry couldn't help but wonder why. She supposed she should feel flattered but instead, she felt impatient. _It's been too long for you to just drop back into my life, Edward Elric._

* * *

Long before dawn, Winry was awake. She wasn't even sure she'd slept. She gave up trying to find a comfortable spot in her bed, getting out of it and heading downstairs. Who knew what train Ed would come in on and she wasn't going to be at the station waiting for him. Sheer stubbornness would keep her here, even if she was too wound up to actually work. Cleaning the shop counted, though, and Winry set to it with a vengeance, taking her irritation out on cobwebs near the ceiling and dust in the corners. If water were more plentiful, she would've scrubbed the floors.

"Honey, what are you doing?" Mr. Garfiel gave her a quizzical stare, leaning on the counter, a delicate teacup in his large hands. "Is this about that boy?"

"No." Winry attacked the windows with vinegar and newspaper, intent on making them shine.

"Should I call Craig?"

That helpful idea was anything but. "No." Winry didn't want to talk to Craig, the young man with auburn hair and broad shoulders, who had started hanging around, started asking her out. Craig didn't know Ed. Ed didn't know Craig. Winry thought that was probably for the best. It wasn't like she was dating Craig or anything, he was just a guy she saw every once in a while.

"If you're sure." Mr. Garfiel had that fretful tone to his voice.

With a little sigh, Winry turned to face her master. "It'll be all right." She managed a smile. "Ed just…probably needs a tune up. Or a new arm." Rolling her eyes, Winry turned back to the window and swiped the newspaper across the glass. "I'll fix him up and he can," she caught her lip in her teeth, biting it to keep from saying the words that threatened to spill out.

There was a slight hesitation and then, in his most gentle voice, Mr. Garfiel asked, "Would you like some tea, honey? It's chamomile and lavender."

Winry nodded, afraid to trust her voice, hearing her master walk further into the shop. Outside the streaked windows, the sun rose, gilding the streets with its harsh glare. Winry squinted, half shading her eyes with her forearm, then went back to her self-imposed chore. She'd started this job, she'd finish it.

And so it went. After the interior of the shop met with her approval, Winry went to work outside, sweeping the sidewalk, cleaning the windows, shining the doorknob. She oiled the hinges in the door. By lunchtime, the building was beautiful, gleaming and clean, and Winry was filthy. Still, she felt a certain satisfaction, staring at the front of the building. If she'd had time, she would've painted the letters advertising Mr. Garfiel's shop. They could use a touch up, she thought, studying them.

"It's enough, girl. Come inside." Mr. Garfiel pouted at her, holding the door open. "Have something to drink and eat." Beckoning, he gestured her inside, wrinkling his nose as Winry walked by him. "And perhaps a shower."

"I'm not fresh as a daisy, huh?" Winry realized, now that she'd stopped, she was drained.

"No." At least he smiled as he said it. "You go get cleaned up and I'll have something for you to eat. Go on," Mr. Garfiel shooed her off when she hesitated and Winry took to the stairs and the living space on the second floor.

Catching sight of her reflection, Winry nearly frightened herself. Her face was streaked with dirt, her eyes staring out of a mask made of cobwebs and dust. Beneath that coating of grime, freckles were starting to pop out on her nose from being in the sun. With a groan, Winry stripped, turning the shower on, climbing in and letting it sluice the dirt from her body. She soaped her hair and her body, rinsing both carefully, washing all the morning's work down the drain. _Why can't your memories be like that?_ Anger bubbled up inside her now that she had no more activities to keep herself distracted. Leaving the shower, Winry braided her still damp hair into a pair of pigtails, nearly taking them out again when she realized she'd done it from a half-remembered comment from Craig about thinking they were cute.

She almost chose a sundress rather than her usual work clothes then remembered that Ed was most likely in need of a tuneup, if not a complete overhaul. A sundress would be impractical. That didn't stop her from tying the arms of her coveralls around her hips, her half-top bright against her Rush Valley-darkened skin. She told herself it wasn't because she wanted to flaunt her body; Ed had seen it before, after all.

Starting down the stairs, Winry could hear voices, her fist clenching around the banister. No matter what, she wasn't really ready for this meeting. Her stomach tightened further into a knot, the thought of eating anything making Winry nauseous.

Hesitating outside the nook, Winry rested her fingers on the door frame. The back of a sun-yellow head greeted her, Mr. Garfiel sitting across from Ed. Mr. Garfiel smiled, nodding at something Ed must've said. Winry swallowed hard, pressing her palm into her stomach. She realized that Ed had said nothing about Al being with him. Why wouldn't Al come, too? Had something happened to him? "Ed?" Her voice nearly broke on that one syllable.

He turned, the beginnings of a smile frozen on his face. "Winry, what's wrong?" The chair tipped but didn't fall as he stood up, moving across the tiny room to her. Ed caught her shoulders, squeezing them. "What is it?" Concerned, he searched her face.

"Al." Winry wheezed in a breath. "Where's Al?"

"Oh." Ed's worry vanished like ice shavings on a hot day and he glanced sideways, his brow knitting together for a few seconds. Thumbs, one calloused, the other smooth metal, brushed her skin before his hands fell away from her shoulders. "He's still in Xing."

"Why?" She nearly stumbled without Ed's support, grabbing the door frame to keep from falling. "He's okay, isn't he?"

"Yeah." Jaw tensing, Ed still refused to look at her. "Just fine. He's…okay." He tilted his head, indicating the table. "C'mon, sit down. Mr. Garfiel told me you did a lot of work today and you didn't eat anything."

"I made sandwiches, Winry. Watercress and chicken salad." Mr. Garfiel got up from the table. "You two can sit and talk. There's iced tea, too, and I think I might have something for dessert, when you two are ready." He guided Winry into the chair he'd vacated, easing it up to the table. "You two have a nice talk." A broad hand stroked her shoulder and Mr. Garfiel left the nook.

Winry stared at Ed blankly as he sat down, picking up a glass and drinking from it. His larynx bobbed and she couldn't help but be fascinated by that, her wondering gaze slowly drifting up. Ed still had his silly antenna but his hair…"Why is your hair so long?" Winry wagged a finger at the braid, slung over his shoulder, nearly reaching his thighs.

"Eh." A shrug answered her then Ed said, "The men in Xing wear ponytails. The shorter your hair, the less manly you are." His eyes rolled. "So it grew."

"Oh." For lack of anything to say, Winry picked up a sandwich, biting into it. At the taste of bread, chicken and mayonnaise on her tongue, her appetite returned and she had to stop herself from wolfing down the food. "Sorry," she mumbled around the food, catching some of the chicken salad with her finger as it started to fall out of the bread.

Ed waved his hand at her. "Eat, Winry. It's just me." He sprawled in his chair, right arm resting on the table, left flung over the back of the chair next to him. Seeming to be staring out the window, Winry thought Ed wasn't really looking at anything. There was a shout outside, then another, vocal evidence of kids playing, but Winry saw Ed's muscles jump and his jaw muscle tighten. As if he felt the weight of her gaze on him, he turned back, his expression dark. "I guess you want to know why Al's still in Xing." Ed picked up one of the watercress sandwiches, biting into the peppery mix. "He got married."

Winry choked on her sandwich, coughing and wheezing, thumping at her chest with her fist. Ed's chair clattered back as he pushed to his feet but she waved him off, grabbing her glass of tea and taking a swallow. "Startled me," she managed to get out, coughing again, then taking another drink. When it seemed like her throat wasn't going to spasm any more, Winry wiped her eyes with the side of her hand, peering at Ed blurrily. "Al got _married_?"

"Yeah." The corners of his mouth turned down, Ed straightened out his chair and sat again. "To the bean girl."

"Mei?" Winry blinked a couple of times, turning that idea over in her mind. While she'd teased Al about Mei, she hadn't really thought he'd liked the girl, despite Mei's obvious crush.

Ed nodded once in response to the girl's name, his mouth twitching. "So he stayed in Xing. He thought about asking you to come for the wedding." Picking up his sandwich, Ed bit into it, chewing for a few seconds before swallowing. "Asking that bastard, and Granny, and Mrs. Hughes and Elicia." He shook his head slightly, obviously lost in thought. From the way his brow furrowed, the thoughts weren't pleasant. "We talked it over and thought it might not be a good idea."

"Why not?" She really wanted to know.

"There was enough going on with Al, a commoner," Ed sneered in his own particularly virulent way, "marrying a princess. Her clan wasn't too keen on that. We thought maybe it would be better if none of you came because it might be too dangerous." The grim set of his mouth answered the rest of Winry's questions effectively.

Still, she had to ask. "But Al's okay?"

His expression softened as if he realized he was scaring Winry. Ed nodded, his braid slithering across his shoulder. "He's fine. He sent you a present." He started to stand but Winry waved him back down.

"It's okay. It can wait." Picking up a sandwich quarter, Winry made short work of it. If she ate, she didn't really have to talk to Ed, so she took another sandwich and began eating it, too. Once she finished, her stomach almost uncomfortably full, Winry took a long drink of her tea, finally turning her attention to Ed. He stared at the table, a few crumbs showing he'd eaten, too, and had some tea. "So, I guess you need a tune up. Or is your automail trashed?"

"It's good. Probably got some grit in it, crossing the desert." He raised his arm, twisting his wrist and flexing the elbow and fingers. "My leg's okay. I've been taking good care of it." An uncomfortable silence lay between them and Winry thought that Ed would've had to take good care of it, since his mechanic was a whole country away.

"What about Ran Fan? How's her automail holding up?" She wondered at the way Ed stiffened at the mention of the other girl's name.

"It's good. Not as good as yours." Ed watched his digits as he bent them sequentially. "Nobody's is as good as yours."

There was no smile when he said it, no hint of teasing. Winry thought if he'd said something like that a couple of years ago, she'd have reacted almost as if he'd been flirting with her. Now, she just nodded an acknowledgement. "Do you have a place to stay while you're here?"

His attention focused on her again and Winry felt like she'd been scorched by the sun. "I know it's an imposition but Mr. Garfiel offered me one of your recovery rooms, since he said no one was using it right now."

Edward Elric, staying here. Winry wasn't sure what to think of that. Her master had a weird sense of humor or romance, she wasn't sure which. Considering the way he tried to push Craig and her together, she'd bet on the latter.

Ed gave her a hopeful look and Winry wondered what sort of expression must be on her face to cause that reaction. "If that's okay. I mean, I can probably get a room at the military hotel or something. I didn't ask." That last sounded tacked on, almost pleading, and Winry narrowed her eyes sharply. Ed didn't beg for anything, well, he begged for the last piece of pie or another bowl of stew. But not for a place to stay.

"It's okay." The words sounded short and harsh, even to her own ears, but Ed just nodded, turning his gaze back to the tabletop. "I'll go get your room ready." The chair scraped back over the flooring as Winry stood. Ed glanced up at her then away before he got up, too.

"I'll help."

* * *

After his room was made up, Ed disappeared into it, pleading fatigue. Winry was just as glad to see him go. With him out of the way, she could pretend he wasn't here and she kind of liked that. It wasn't healthy, not at all, but right now, Winry needed to find some way to cope with Edward Elric interjecting himself into her life again. Her brain buzzed with questions that she wasn't sure she really wanted answers to, except for one: How long was he going to stay this time?

"You keep frowning," Mr. Garfiel told her as they started supper.

She had no real answer for that. Winry knew she was frowning. Her head had started pounding, not to mention the tension gathering in her back, neck and shoulders.

"Maybe you need a massage." He laid a finger on his cheek, giving her a coy look.

"If you're thinking about suggesting Craig give me one," Winry trailed off, the throb in her temple warning her against losing her temper.

Mr. Garfiel chuckled, shaking his head. "No, honey. I wouldn't do that." His eyes told a different story.

She really didn't want to explain Ed to Craig. Or vice versa. And Ed had the annoying habit of popping up when she least expected him. She could see it now, Ed wandering into the room, scratching his bare belly, wearing those drawstring shorts, something foodwise dangling out of his mouth, whining at her to get to work on his automail. Craig was used to her customers but not Ed. "That," Winry told her master, "would be appreciated."

Dinner was going to be cold; pumpkin soup, which tasted good either hot or cool, and cold chicken. Winry was in charge of the vegetables, making pickled tomatoes out of some she'd canned with Granny last year when she went to Rezembool, and honey glazed carrots. It wasn't a feast and Winry wasn't sure she'd count it as a 'welcome home', either. Winry almost wished Paninya would pop in for dinner. It might be good if she did show up, though; give Ed someone else to concentrate on.

_If he wakes up at all._ He hadn't come out of the room since earlier in the afternoon. Winry almost wanted to check on him but restrained the impulse. If Ed needed anything, well, he was a big boy.

Ed hadn't left his room by the time dinner was ready so Winry and Mr. Garfiel ate without him. Their conversation was subdued; the headache that had been building all day draining any desire Winry had to talk. She wasn't sure she wanted to get into the speculation of why Ed had returned to Amestris – Al getting married wasn't enough to chase Ed back here. Winry didn't flatter herself that he came just to see her. She might've been his best friend, once upon a time, but thinking that she still might be wasn't something she would even contemplate. Before Al got his body back, Winry understood the brothers being too busy to stay in touch. Afterward, well, Xing was a good distance away or at least she could tell herself that, when she thought about it. The thing was, she'd managed to not think about it for a very long time. Ed being here, under the same roof, made her think about it again.

After cleaning everything up, Mr. Garfiel announced he was nipping out for the evening. Winry wished her master was better at keeping secrets that didn't have to do with automail plans. Ed's reappearance would certainly be news to Rush Valley but Winry hoped that wouldn't be wagged all over town. There were still people who remembered him from his last visits here, destroying part of the town both times, and sometimes people had a hard time forgiving the past.

Winry shook her head to clear it of uncharitable thoughts on that matter, worrying over something else. Al, married. She wondered if she could send a gift and congratulations. Would he get it? Maybe he and Mei would come back soon to visit, since Ed was here. Maybe he'd never come back. No, Amestris was Al's home, he'd be back eventually, probably with a kid or two. Winry couldn't help but grin at that image, a flock of cute kids trailing in Al's wake. Granny would be disappointed she hadn't been at the wedding. She'd rap Al's skull with that pipe of hers.

Taking out a teacup, Winry boiled water to make herself a cup of Mr. Garfiel's chamomile and lavender tea. She needed something soothing but there was something else she could do, too.

The roof of Mr. Garfiel's shop was easily accessible from the second floor and Winry climbed out her bedroom window, walking softly across the roof to one of the chairs she'd built late last year. The chair adjusted with a little bit of coaxing and Winry knew she'd need to run some bee's wax in the joints soon. Settling on the wooden lounge, she sipped at her tea and stared up into the night sky.

Rush Valley's nights were nothing like Rezembool's. The sky was clearer than back home and the stars shone more brilliant here than anywhere Winry had ever visited, not that she'd gone all that many places. Home, Rush Valley, Central City. Even that was a lot of traveling for a Rezembool girl. Winry knew that some of the people back home envied her for going out and making her own way. There were others who thought the only reason she'd gotten as far as she had was because of Ed's influence. She knew different. Her customers came to her because of who she was, not because she was the Fullmetal Alchemist's mechanic.

There was a sharp noise, the sound of an automail foot hitting the rooftop. Winry tilted her head in time to see Ed climbing out of the window. His hair, loose and wet, hung nearly to his thighs, strands of it sticking to his bare skin. "Brrr, it's chilly up here." He shivered, nose wrinkling. Barefoot, wearing just a pair of trousers and a towel around his neck, he walked across the roof. Ed sat in the second lounge chair, silence stretching between them as he worked at drying his hair.

The silence between them got to him first. "I know," Ed hesitated, looking at the ends of the towel in his hands, "I know you're angry with me. Hell, I'd be pissed, too." He laughed shortly but it wasn't a humorous sound. "I asked you to keep an apple pie ready for me and then I just take off to a foreign country."

Winry took a sip from her cooling cup of tea. "It's okay, Ed." She almost thought she sounded believable. "I know there were things you had to do." The 'there always are' went unsaid.

"Yeah, but," Ed closed his eyes, shaking his head. "I didn't get to explain why this time." He draped the towel around his neck, taking a deep breath. Winry tried not to look at his chest, at the stellate scar that described a wound that could've killed him, nor the other marks on his body. Some she knew all too well, having helped make them. Others wrote stories Winry didn't want to read. "I thought about sending it to you in a letter but I realized that anything I sent was likely to be read. And those little codes we had back in school were too easy to break." Ed made an abortive gesture toward her and curled his hand back on his thigh instead. "I couldn't figure out a way to tell you while you were in Central – there were always people listening in." Another of those dark laughs. "Our rooms were bugged, Winry. Mine and Al's; yours. It wasn't safe to tell you anything. The less you knew, the better. That's why…why I treated you like that. Didn't tell you anything. Ling got Al and me out of the country because there were people who wanted us dead for helping overthrow the current government."

Winry pressed her fingers to her mouth, feeling sick to her stomach. "You're joking." Her protest came out weak and breathless, knowing all too well that she'd been Ed's hostage before.

"I hope you believe me, Winry, because it's the truth." Ed's face was set in grim lines. "I treated you that way to throw them off your trail. I never wanted you to get hurt because of me. I couldn't…there wasn't any way to take you with us, either. I mean, you could've come, but you already said you weren't leaving Amestris. You were right. Your other customers needed you and Xing," he took a deep breath, "it wouldn't have been safe for you in Xing, either."

Winry could hear the servos in his automail whine from how tightly Ed clenched his fist and wondered what had happened in Xing. Before she got a chance to ask, Ed went on. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Winry, but I couldn't think of any other way to keep you safe. If I'd told you something…."

"At least I would've known, Ed." The words came out sharper and sounding more hurt than Winry wanted them to. She didn't look away from him, meeting his gaze. "You guys dropped out of my life once before and I hated it but at least I knew why you were gone. Ambassadors to Xing?"

"We were," Ed protested. "Unofficial." He shook his head again, damp bangs flopping in his face. "Al wasn't up to keeping himself safe. He might've looked okay, Winry, but his body…he still hadn't gotten his strength back by the time we left Amestris, and I couldn't protect both of you, Winry. Not unless we were together all the time. I knew you'd hate that, not being able to make your own decisions. I figured you'd hate me, too." Ed jerked his head up, staring at her, his eyes burning. "But I'd rather you hate me than be dead."

"You just decided this on your own?" Winry gave him a disgusted look. "Ed, what makes you think I couldn't take care of myself?"

"Don't be stupid, Winry! They had snipers. How are you going to defend yourself against someone who could've shot you from a building three streets away?" Ed flung out his arm in emphasis, the moonlight shining down the steel like oil down a gun barrel. His hand swung around to point at her in the symbol of a gun, finger miming pulling a trigger. "You would've been dead and I…" He did look away then, the muscle in his jaw jumping.

_I'm not that important_, Winry wanted to protest but from what she could see of Ed's face, he thought she was. If he thought that, then she would've been his hostage, all over again. Or worse, she realized grimly, made an example of so Ed would toe the line someone wanted him to. "What changed?" The question hung between them for a few seconds before Winry realized she'd been the one to ask it.

"Mustang sent me word. They finally eradicated," Ed's mouth twisted distastefully at the word, "the last of Bradley's supporters. Well, the ones who would've caused problems." He sighed gustily, his shoulders sagging. "I'm tired, Winry." Massaging his temples with his fingers, Ed mumbled, his words dragging, "I just wanted Al back and then to see everyone's smiling faces. The last thing I wanted to do was to hurt you." He shot her a glance through his bangs before dropping his gaze. "I'm not military any more, Winry. I'm out. I've got no house and no job. My brother lives in another country. I don't know how to make a life out of what little I have left."

Blinking hard, Winry got to her feet. She shuffled across the roof, dropping onto the chair with Ed. Wrapping her arms around him from behind, she leaned her chin on his shoulder. The damp of his hair soaked into her shirt, chilling her, but Winry didn't let go. Ed stiffened in her arms then, almost painfully slow, relaxed. His hands came up to cover her wrists.

"I'm sorry." The apology came almost as soft as a breeze against her skin. "I never make good decisions when it comes to you."

"You came back." Winry tightened her embrace. "That was a good decision."

The relieved rumble of Ed's laugh shook them both. "I figured you'd brain me with your wrench."

"I may still do that." She dug her chin into his shoulder for emphasis.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "When you didn't, I thought I'd lost you."

Winry didn't like the way her heart thudded at those words. It hurt too much to trust him, to think that this time, he wasn't going to do something stupid. "I'm still mad at you," she said lightly, sidestepping the opening Ed had left for her.

"Don't blame you." Ed squeezed her wrists. "I'm mad at me, too." She waited for him to say that he had his reasons but instead, he ducked his head. "I'm freezing. Can we go inside now?"

"Yeah." Winry loosened her arms, letting Ed pull free. He stood, offering her his hand, and she stared at it for a few seconds before slipping her fingers into his and letting him pull her to her feet.

She could build an arm and a leg out of pieces of metal, hydraulics, gears and wire. She understood how things fit together. Her own life had been shattered more than once but she'd managed to patch it and move on. Ed was an alchemist, able to take broken things and make them right with his ability to transmute objects. He could make new things out of scraps, just like her.

Tonight, she'd start showing him how.

* * *


	2. Chores

Chores

S J Smith

Disclaimer: Sekritly, I dress in a cow suit and perform manga at night…only kidding.

A.N.: Happy belated bday, Ishte!

* * *

It had been three weeks and Ed was still hanging around. Winry wasn't quite sure what to make of it. Since that first night on the roof and his explanations, Ed seemed to be doing his best to be helpful but not push, and to stay out of the way when necessary. He was doing the dishes and sweeping the floors; helping with the cooking and running errands. Paninya, Ed and she had painted the entire building, not to mention touched up the sign above the door. Ed had wanted to add some 'bad-ass dragons or snakes' but Mr. Garfiel overruled him, saying he wanted the flower to remain. Rolling his eyes, Ed hadn't said anything more about it but Winry'd caught his calculating expression more than once and knew that, one day soon, Garfiel Attelier might suddenly grow a gargoyle on the roof or something equally hideous.

This morning, Winry had announced it was laundry day and Ed had helped her strip the beds and gather up everything to take to the Xingese laundry shop Mr. Garfiel used. Ed lugged one of the heavy baskets without complaint. His bare shoulders and left arm still peeling from the sunburn he'd gotten from painting and his nose was still pink. "You should've worn a hat," Winry told him, shooting him a glance out from under the brim of her own.

As if her comment reminded him, Ed shifted the weight of his basket so he could rub his nose, skin flaking off. Making a face, he shook his hand, wiping it on his cargo pants before grabbing the basket with both hands again. "Eh."

"You could've gotten sun poisoning."

He rolled his eyes. "You didn't say that when I was helping you paint."

"I didn't think about it then. I'm thinking about it now." Winry decided to let it go, not wanting to walk into Madame Won's arguing with Ed.

Madame Won herself was there to greet them as they came through the door, her black eyes nearly disappearing in the mass of wrinkles around them as she smiled. Her face, as always, reminded Winry of a wizened apple, except for the bright white teeth that showed when she grinned. "Winree," Madame Won sang, drawing out her name. "It is always good to see you."

"It's good to see you, too, Madame Won," Winry said as she maneuvered into the shop with its smells of soap and water and dirty clothes.

Huu appeared out of the back of the shop like a magician, his face wreathed in smiles, shaking his long bangs out of his eyes. Winry realized his braid was nearly as long as Ed's and wondered how she'd managed to miss noticing it before. Huu wiped his hands on a towel thrown over his shoulder, reaching out to her. "Let me take that." Catching the basket, he lifted it out of her hands over her protest. "You should've called. I would've come to help you bring the laundry over." Despite the weight of the basket, he tossed it onto the counter.

"She already has a pack mule." Ed set his basket next to hers on the counter, fixing Huu with a flat stare.

"Oh, are you Winree's brother?" Madame Won looked over Ed curiously and Winry had to hide a snicker at the thought that the tiny woman barely came up to Ed's collarbone.

"You never mentioned a brother." Huu lounged back against the counter, already dismissing Ed to turn a charming smile Winry's way.

"No, no." Winry raised her hands, forestalling any more wild questions and hopefully an explosion from Ed. "Ed's a," she hesitated for a bare second, a thousand words running through her head, "friend," she settled on, "we grew up together."

Huu's eyes narrowed as Madame Won's eyes widened, her mouth making a perfect little 'o'. "You are Edward Elric!" She took a step toward him, her hands outstretched.

Turning away from Huu, the only sign of Ed's surprise was the tilt of his eyebrows. Instead, to Winry's shock, he bowed, saying something in the sing-song language Winry had often heard in the laundry.

Madame Won smiled, bowing back, answering Ed in the same tongue. The continued talking while Huu, making a "Tch!" sound, wrote up the receipt for the laundry. "He's really Edward Elric?"

Wondering how they knew about him, Winry nodded.

Huu went on, "They say he saved the Xingese Emperor's life." The look Huu gave Ed was one Winry couldn't quite decipher.

"Ling, you mean?" She fell back on politeness, startled when Huu gave her the same look, though it morphed into surprise. Shrugging, Winry said, "We met Ling here in Rush Valley, Ed, his brother, Al and me. We took Ling with us to Central City when we went." She didn't know all the story of what happened after, just piecemeal bits. Ed saving Ling's life wouldn't surprise her. Huu's expression did, though, and Winry wished she knew what it meant.

"He is a very brave man," Huu said finally, a grudging tone to his voice.

"And so young and handsome," Madame Won added, somehow overhearing their conversation despite the one she was having with Ed. She reached up to pinch his cheek. "Not what I expected." Stopping at Winry's side, Madame Won patted her shoulder. "You make sure he takes good care of you, Winree."

Ed coughed, the sound of his shoe scraping over the flooring making all eyes turn his way. "It's the other way around, Madame Won." His gaze rose to meet Winry's. "But I want to try to fix that."

The air in the laundry shop seemed suddenly charged with electricity and Winry wondered why she couldn't seem to catch her breath. The sound of ripping paper broke the moment. "Here's your receipt, Winry," Huu said, though the attention was riveted on Ed.

"Thanks, Huu." She stuffed the paper in the pocket of her coveralls as Ed said something in Xingese to Madame Won, nodding his head. Afterward, they walked outside into the blazing sun, both of them squinting automatically at the brilliance. Winry shot glances at Ed while they walked, finally grabbing his ponytail and yanking it.

"Ow! What the hell, woman?" Ed glared at her, stopped in his tracks.

"What was all that about?" She realized she hadn't let go of his braid, using it to gesture back toward the laundry. Come to think of it, Huu had a really long braid, too. Maybe it wasn't so much to prove manliness as to give women a leash.

"All what?" He jerked like a restive horse.

"All that talking in Xing." Letting go of Ed's hair, Winry put her fists on her hips.

Ed growled back, "I was just asking Madame Won where I could get some good Xing food."

"That wasn't all of it. Huu said you saved Ling's life." She punctuated the last three words with a stab of her forefinger in Ed's chest. Fighting in the streets was childish but Ed just brought it out in her.

"That was…" Sighing, Ed shook his head. "Can we talk about this later, Winry?" Expression softening, he said, "Madame Won gave me the name of a good Xingese restaurant and I want some pressed chicken." He gave her a pleading look, his stomach growling as of on cue. Clutching at it, he begged, "Please?"

Letting loose a grudging, exaggerated sigh, Winry nodded, albeit reluctantly.

Ed's answering grin was brighter than the sun. "C'mon." He offered her his hand. "I'm hungry." When she didn't take his hand, his smile dimmed and he started to move away, his elbow bending so he could shove his hand in his pocket.

Winry caught his braid again, giving it a twitch, making Ed turn around. He gave her a questioning look as she let go of his hair, taking his wrist to slide her hand down to take his. _Dammit,_ she realized as Ed's smile blossomed at her touch. _I could be falling in love with him again._

_

* * *

  
_


	3. Tangled

**Title:** Tangled

**Author/Artist: **S J Smith

**Fandom:** Fullmetal Alchemist

**Characters:** Winry, Edward

**Summary/Teaser: **Even after all these years, it's hard to get through all the tangles.

**Disclaimer:** Sandbox. See me? See me playing in the sandbox? I knew you would.

**Rating:** Teen

**Word Count:** 618

**A.N.:** Thanks to D. M. Evans for the first read through.

* * *

The sound, not to mention Ed's grimacing, was getting on Winry's nerves. How he expected to get through that long hair – and how it managed to get that tangled – was not something Winry wanted to consider. Striding across the room, she held out her hand, palm up. "Give me that."

"Hnng?" He ducked almost reflexively. Good. Keeping Edward Elric on his toes had to be an excellent idea. Looking at the object in his hand then back up at her, Ed reluctantly passed over the boar-bristle brush.

"Comb, too, Ed." She made a beckoning motion with her fingers when he hesitated. "You're making a mess and I don't want to have to sweep mats of hair off the floor."

Ed growled. "It's not matted!"

Rather than answering with words, Winry plucked a knotted wad out of the bristles, holding it in front of Ed's nose. "Hmm? Or do you want me to get the tin snips and chop it all off?"

Gnashing his teeth, Ed snatched up the comb, though he didn't slam it into her hand like he might've when they were kids. "There." That didn't stop the pout, though, which, Winry realized she'd reacted to by rolling her eyes.

_We really are a pair of brats._ Moving around him, Winry decided voicing that particular comment could wait. Instead, she smoothed her hand over Ed's hair, wincing when she caught a nail in a tangle. "I'm surprised you don't have strands caught in your automail." Ed grunted and Winry peered over his shoulder. "You do, don't you?"

"Not much!" As soon as the words left his mouth, Ed hunched his shoulders, obviously expecting a lecture or her to bash the brush against his skull.

Winry sniffed. "I'll get to your automail later." With that lingering like a threat in the air, she straightened, combing through Ed's hair with her fingers. She wanted to know where the worst tangles were before she did anything with the comb.

A part of her reveled in this – Ed letting her play with his hair, like she'd done when they were just kids. He'd needed help with a lot of stuff after he lost his arm and leg and, while there were some memories Winry would just as soon forget (in her mind, she heard herself ask, "Why is it getting stiff?" and Ed, scarlet red, snarling back, "Because I have to pee!"), taking care of his hair had been…nice. Ed had seemed to like it, too, even if he fussed. Winry remembered she could almost lull him to sleep by brushing his hair, something she'd taken advantage of when he'd worked himself up into a fine frenzy. Of course, once he'd started healing, Ed had wanted to do everything by himself, which meant he relied less on her. Winry couldn't really remember the last time she'd been given the chance to brush his hair.

Ed grumbled, shifting his weight in the chair. Winry thumped his skull with her middle finger, making him yelp and whine. "Stay still."

"Ng." Slouching, his whole body took the personification of a pout.

"It's a wonder Ling didn't get sick of you and throw you out of Xing."

Ed hissed and stiffened abruptly, his spine going rigid. It was obvious he tried to force himself to relax but the tension showed in his shoulders and the way he held his head. If she had been a little younger, Winry knew she would have asked – no, demanded – to know why.

Instead, she gathered up a strand of hair and the comb, using the pointy end to pick the knot loose. If only it was that easy, Winry thought, to loosen the knots Ed tied up in himself.


	4. Lightning Strikes

**Title:** Lightning Strikes

**Author:** S J Smith

**Disclaimer:** Do not own.

**Rating:** K+

**A.N. 1:** Written for the live journal community, Fire and Ice 2009, for the prompt: "Waiting out the storm"

**A.N. 2:** Future!Fic. Thanks to D. M. Evans for the first readthrough.

**Word Count**: 965

* * *

The first day of rain had been pleasant. Rush Valley, after all, was not only dry but also hot. Rain cooled things off, washed away the dust, made everyone smile. By the second day, the rain had turned the oversaturated dirt into mud that tracked everywhere and seemed to get into automail, even through boots and trousers and shirts. By the third day, the mud seemed deadly as quicksand and just as likely to suck someone down into it, never to be released. Edward thought he'd just managed to escape that quickmud with his life, only to walk into another kind of storm.

Winry jammed her fists into her hips. "Do you have any idea how stupid it was, to go out there?"

Not bothering to answer, Edward pressed his hands together, touching first his automail leg then his arm. The sticky mud dried almost instantly, falling away to dust.

"Ed!"

That irritated note in her voice boded no good. He hunched his shoulders automatically, expecting a wrench to come slamming down on his skull. "What? I dried up the mud so I wouldn't track it anywhere. What's wrong with that?"

Grumbling, Winry snatched at his right hand, jerking it closer so she could take a look. "You idiot. Now you've got dirt in your gears!"

Edward's mouth flattened into a tight line. "I transmuted the mud."

"Right back into the fine grit that's everywhere in Rush Valley." Winry clicked her tongue in annoyance. "It gets into everything and gums up the gears."

Exasperated, Edward tugged at his hand, not able to pull free from Winry's grip. "How was I to know?"

She glared, her eyes darker than the clouds outside. "I've been telling you since you got here!"

Edward couldn't think of a time when Winry had mentioned anything about dirt and opened his mouth to say so – then snapped it shut again. Oh. She had said something about it while sweeping Mr. Garfiel's shop the other day, how the dirt got into everything. How she had to take that into account for locals who needed automail and make sure they oiled the gears of their limbs regularly. Hell, she'd even shoved a can into his hand the other day and stood there imperiously, tapping her foot, until he'd shown her he actually did know how to grease up his automail.

"Um." Sheepish, Edward had to force his left hand to stay where it was rather than scrub fitfully under his pony tail. "Sorry. You're right."

Winry narrowed her eyes. Her fingers tightened their grip on his wrist. If it was flesh, Edward was sure he'd have bruises.

"But I had a reason to go out there." Desperation? Well, he really didn't want to be whacked by a handy tool. "I had that letter to mail to Al," still in Xing, still researching Xingese alchemy with that little bean girl, "and there was something else I had to do, too."

Her fingers drummed against the grill on his forearm. "Al's letter could've waited." The 'and you know it' remained unsaid. "So what was the other reason you just had to go out in that rain?"

"Edwaaard!" Garfiel trilled, sashaying into the room, something cuddled up to his chest. "You are truly a hero." Turning his attention to the bit of fluff in his large hands, Garfiel murmured, "Isn't he a hero? I'd say so, wouldn't you?"

Nonplused, Winry looked from Edward to her master. "What…did you do, Ed?"

"Only rescued a momma dog and her litter of pups from that abandoned shack down on Basin Street." Before Winry could react, Garfiel asked, "Did that place really wash away just as you were carrying out the puppies? Never mind. You can share your story later." Garfiel pressed the scrap of fluff into Winry's hands. "This little darling is all clean and dry but her mother and brother still need to be washed." Swirling around, Garfiel left the room in a flurry of ruffles. "I'll get them bathed, Edward, but Winry, dear, you could help!"

Reaching over, Edward very gently pressed his metal forefinger under Winry's chin, guiding her mouth closed. "You'd better get in there." Before she could protest, he scooped the puppy out of her arms. "I'll take care of this little girl."

Winry snorted, despite the roses blooming in her cheeks. "You need to take care of yourself, too."

"Eh." Edward waved his free hand, wincing at the squeal that came out of his wrist joint. Grinning at the return of Winry's scowl, he hoped he could divert the storm. "I can wait? 'Til after we're finished cleaning up the dogs?"

Her snort even more exasperated and accompanied by rolling eyes, Winry caught hold of his automail hand again. "All right." Her expression softened a bit as she looked at the puppy cradled in the crook of his left arm. "I guess you did have a good reason for being out there."

Edward nodded, wishing he could tell Winry that, for every good reason he had to go out in the storm, she was his reason for coming back home. Those words got jammed in his throat, worse than that clingy mud. Still, the warmth in her eyes told him, maybe, she understood what he couldn't say.

"C'mon." Winry broke the moment when she tugged at his hand. "We've got dogs to bathe."

"And maintenance afterward?" Edward winced at the realization.

Winry smiled, a little flirtatious, a little wicked. "Don't worry, Ed. I'll make it worth your while." She pulled him along behind her, that grin promising a lot more than just some squirts of oil in squeaky joints.

Maybe it was still raining outside but inside, Edward thought, it was kind of like the sun just came out from behind the clouds.

* * *

Additional Author's Notes: A few of you have been contacting me and asking why this story is labeled 'complete' when I keep adding to it. It's actually pretty simple: each story is standalone in this universe. While I do have an idea where I'm going with it, I don't know when - or if - it will become what I consider a 'chapter fic', like _Devotion_, _Marking Time_ or any of the other chapter fics I'm working on. As they are all contained in one universe, I didn't want to publish each story separately here on FFN. In my blog, they're just labeled as 'Scraps' and if someone wants to read each story as a one shot and not read any of the other stories, that's fine.

That being said - or written, as the case may be - eventually, other characters' POVs - and back story - will be posted here. Later today, a story will go up for Ran Fan. Some day, one (or more) will be written about Alphonse while living in Xing. Eventually, Ed will decide he wants to tell Winry what happened in Xing.

As I've said to a lot of readers, not just here at FFN, but other places as well, the original story (titled _Scraps_) was just supposed to be a one-shot about Ed with long hair, based on a challenge someone had posted asking for that sort of a story, and if that person liked the story, art would be done. Eh, before you ask, no art has been done for this universe.

I'm glad all of you are enjoying this universe.

-SJS


	5. The World, A Stage

Title: The World, A Stage  
Author/Artist: S. J. Smith

Rating: Teen – Adult  
Warnings: A.R., Future Fic  
Prompt for Springkink: Fullmetal Alchemist: Ling/Ran Fan: masks: return to Xing (preferred setting)  
Word count: 916  
Summary: She wears many masks.  
A/N: This takes place a few years prior to _Scraps, Chores_ and _Tangled_ (all of which focus on Ed's return to Amestris and his relationship with Winry).  
A/N 2: Seriously, I didn't want this to be so angsty. I swear.

* * *

She wears a mask. Its lacquered face hides her own, obscures her emotions, makes her featureless in front of her enemies. And there is no doubt she has many. Her face is hidden as she is the guard of Yao Ling, one of the many heirs to the throne of the emperor of Xing. She has no doubt he will soon be the only heir, as he is doing what the others could not – return to Xing with proof of his own immortality. It isn't up to her to wonder that such a thing cannot be transferred from her prince to the emperor – because the blond alchemist and his brother, accompanying them back to Xing, says that it can't be done.

"That…_Father_ is dead. Or whatever amounts to being dead for that kind of thing." Edward Elric, puzzled. Ran Fan thinks that she could praise the pantheon for being able to witness such a sight. He shoots a look at her prince, that too-expressive face curious. "By all rights, Greed should be gone."

"But he isn't," Edward's brother, Alphonse, pipes up from where he sits behind his brother on the horse. Too weak to ride by himself, by rights, he should be caravanned, but Alphonse Elric is as stubborn as his brother and swears he can ride. Ran Fan is surprised that the boy has lasted this long, as delicate as he appears. Maybe Mei's healing alchemy has something to do with that, as the girl and her miniature panda stay as close as they can get to Alphonse without living in his skin.

"Yeah. That bothers me." And Edward falls silent again, making faces at the heat roasting the metal limbs of his body.

The pair of alchemists travel with her prince, her grandfather and herself, making the way across the desert, through the Xerxes ruins and toward Xing. Ran Fan doesn't know if this is considered their punishment for helping overthrow their government or if it is a reward. They seem cautiously happy and yet, the elder brother glances to the east and, Ran Fan guesses, the mechanic girl he'd left behind.

Her own gaze is not so fixed. She is a guard, a warrior, sworn to lay down her life if need be for her master. Her resolve has been tested sorely – Ran Fan flexes her metal digits, thinking that the alchemist is correct – his mechanic is a far craftier person than the man who originally created her automail and she appreciates the skill in her newest limb. Still, her focus doesn't waver. She watches her prince, not entirely surreptitiously, sometimes catching Alphonse's eyes on her, a sweet smile on his face. He is young enough to believe in fairy tales and princes marrying serving girls. Mei too, believes, evident in the way she stares at the younger alchemist, as if her emperor father, Ling's father, wouldn't marry her off in an instant to a Xing courtier. Edward isn't oblivious to Mei's glances at his brother, which makes his own face spasm in irritation. If she were the type to taunt, Ran Fan would. Instead, she hides her laughter behind her mask.

She must take her amusement where she finds it. In Xing, she must school her thoughts and her actions. It is her duty as her prince's guard, though she knows how difficult it would be for anyone to attempt to kill him now.

The day of their arrival is the beginning of fall, with cooler weather and the sound of temple bells ringing an announcement. Xing is as Ran Fan remembered it, thinking that the _chi_ of home feels like a spring breeze after a harsh winter. Mei's expression lightens but Ling's brow draws into a frown. Ran Fan wonders if the monster inside of her prince's body dislikes the difference of their homeland from that of Amestris. She's not sure, at this instant, who is in control. Her prince fights his way to the surface often enough but the monster is strong, wanting to remain in control of the body. Wanting to remain in control of everything.

It is a mask her prince must wear and Ran Fan has been part and parcel to those long arguments between her grandfather, the two alchemists, Ling and the monster. The monster is not satisfied with just the land of Xing; it wants more. Ling believes he can control it and Ran Fan must hide her worries that he will lose that war. The Yao clan cannot be allowed to lose the battle for the Emperor's throne, lest everything Ling has ever fought for be destroyed along with him. The monster wants the world – aptly has it been named – and if it must kill Ran Fan's prince to get what it wants, it will.

But Ran Fan has learned there are ways to distract it from its worldly desires by appealing to baser ones. The monster is not unhappy with her attentions, though it makes her skin crawl to touch her prince's body when it is in control. Still, its greed for attention of all sorts gives her a small manner of power over it. She hates that the monster can make her feel as good as it does when it kisses her neck, strokes her breasts, buries itself between her legs.

This is the final mask she must wear – a contented expression afterward, winding the monster in loving limbs, knowing that it will only be sated for a little while, while she cries her tears inside, where no one can see.


	6. Morning Wakeup

X X X

"Get back here, you rascal!" Garfiel chased after the little mop of brown fur.

The puppy dropped the screwdriver, turning to bark at the big man. Its little voice raised in protest, it squeaked and squalled at him, protecting its find.

"You naughty little thing." Folding his arms, he glared down at it. "I need that screwdriver to finish work on Mr. Baumholser's hand."

The puppy growled, a shrill, high pitched rumble that did more to make Garfiel chuckle than anything. "Edward! Winry!" he called. "Your first born child is being bad!"

He could hear Winry's sleepy grumble from somewhere in the depths of the shop but Edward was made of sterner stuff, padding out of the recovery rooms he'd claimed for his own while staying in Rush Valley. Garfiel understood his apprentice's desire to make sure her erstwhile boyfriend wasn't going to run off and leave her again, but the sight of the young golden man, shirtless, bare footed, dressed in a pair of sleep shorts and with his hair all tousled from bed, was enough to make even the most hardened heart beat fast.

Edward's sleep roughened voice completed the image of extreme sexiness as he bent down, scooping up the puppy with his flesh hand. "You're a bad dog," he said, the tone of his voice saying anything but. "You're going to wake up your brother." He nodded. "Sorry, Mr. Garfiel." Lambent hazel eyes blinked and a slow, wicked smile started to build. "C'mon, little girl, let's go wake up Mommy Winry." He carried the wriggling puppy up the stairs toward Winry's room.

The resultant squeal and screams let Mr. Garfiel know it was going to be a good day.

X X X


	7. In Sickness And

Note: This fic was written for the live journal community, HC_Bingo (hurt comfort), and I originally had written a series of four interconnected stories involving Ed, only to realize that didn't fall within the parameters of the challenge. Oops. So, I thought maybe I'd pick up one of the universes I've been writing in, and add a story to it. "Scraps" seemed the best fit.

The prompts I was given were: Food poisoning, Interrogation, Comfort food and hunger/starvation.

* * *

_**In Sickness And**_

* * *

"Oh, god, Ed!" Winry stood in the doorway of the bathroom, her hands resting on the frame. "What did you do?"

He groaned, turning a pale, sweating face her way. Blond hair clung to his skin in sticky strands. "Guh," he said, holding up a trembling hand, though Winry couldn't tell if he was trying to wave her back out of the door or make a plea for help. A terrible smell wafted out of the room and into the hall, one that told her more than she really wanted to know about the state of Ed's stomach and intestines, and what particular agony he had to be in.

Holding her breath, Winry stepped over Ed's sprawled legs to pry open the window, letting in dusty but fresh Rush Valley air. She turned back around to squat next to Ed, pushing his bangs off his forehead, making a face at the cool, greasy feel to his skin. "Ed," she sighed softly. "What did you do?"

"No…" Ed whined, shoving his head against her shoulder, "interro," he burped, and Winry had to wave her hand in front of her nose to clear the air, "gations." Groaning again, he pushed away from her to lean over the mouth of the commode, a thin stream of bile trickling out of his mouth. Winry rubbed his back, making soothing noises she was pretty sure Ed didn't hear at all.

Ed held onto the bowl of the commode, gasping and spitting, finally uncurling with a heart-breaking moan. Winry helped ease him back down into a sitting position, getting up so she could grab a towel to wrap around his shaking body. She flushed the toilet, getting rid of the mess within it while she fetched a washcloth, dampening it with warm water. "All right, Ed," she said, squatting next to him and taking hold of his chin so she could clean his face, "what happened?"

His long braid dragged on the floor, straggly and in as bad a shape as the rest of him. Red-rimmed eyes met hers before she passed the washcloth over his forehead, wiping the greasy sweat from his face. "Went back to that restaurant." Ed sighed, leaning into her care. "You know, took you there."

The Xingese restaurant that served food Ed claimed was just like what he'd eaten in Xing. He'd even smiled brilliantly when he'd said it, the first real smile Winry had seen in relation to Xing since Ed had appeared in Rush Valley. She wondered if Ed thought of it as comfort food now. Apple pies didn't exist in Xing – she'd gotten that much from a letter from Al back at the very beginning of their stay in the other country – and Al had remarked how much he wished she could send them one. Ed hadn't asked her for an apple pie, or stew – not that she wanted to make either, as hot as it'd been lately. Instead, he'd taken her to the Xingese restaurant, and ordered different dishes, one of them so extraordinarily spicy it felt like it was melting her nose hairs from across the table. "What happened?"

"Dunno." Ed burped, making an 'excuse me' grimace. "I ordered the same thing I did last time, remember, pressed chicken? It smelled okay." The hand clutching at his stomach fitfully didn't agree with Ed's words. "I was so hungry," he whined, "I felt like I hadn't eaten for days. And the guy, Hung, he's a good guy. We talked while his son was cooking my meal." His whole body slumped, as if the weight of his head dragged his spine down. "Smelled good," Ed whispered, "like the stuff I'd get back in Xing."

"I'm sorry, Ed," Winry said, rubbing his back again. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Hnng." Ed managed to lift his head, blinking at her. "Think I need a shower." His hand resting on the seat of the commode, he tried to push himself to his feet, only to lose his balance, nearly falling on his butt again.

Grabbing him around the chest, Winry held him steady, feeling-hearing the racing of his heart against arms. "Easy, Ed," she murmured, "it's okay. Just lean against me, I'll help you up." She set her feet under her, half-pulling, half-supporting Ed as he got up. They stood together, their reflections swaying together in the mirror.

Ed let out a waving sigh. "Thanks, Winry. I can take it from here," he mumbled."

"Are you sure? If you crack your skull getting into the tub, I swear, Ed."

The warning hung in the air for a few seconds before Ed started shaking against her. Winry automatically tightened her grip, thinking he was about to fall, when she realized. The idiot was laughing. "What?" she snapped, hating the flush of heat on her cheeks, especially since Ed's eyes met hers in the mirror.

"You're threatening me," Ed said, snickering. "Now I know I'm back home for sure."

Winry would've shoved him if he wasn't still so obviously sick. Instead, she snorted, tipping her nose up in the air. "Like there was ever any doubt!" she said, and dropped her arms to step back, though she stayed close enough to grab Ed if he lost his balance.

His grin still in place, Ed waved at her again, this time shooing her out of the bathroom for sure. "I'm going to take a shower." He turned on the water for emphasis. "You might want to leave the bathroom." Beginning to unbutton his shirt, Ed gave her a look, one that made something deep inside of her tingle. "Unless you want to help me." A belch erupted from him, and Ed had the grace to wince. "Excuse me," he mumbled, though the heat still warmed his eyes.

Color shot up her cheeks and Winry took another step back. "You don't need my help for that!" He didn't, she reminded herself, backing out of the bathroom door and shutting it firmly behind her. Ed could take care of himself. She'd done enough to help him out already, she thought, even if a part of her wanted to go back into the bathroom, and not just to make sure he could stand up for his shower, either. Dammit, why did he have to still look so amazing, even when he was sick like that?

Shaking her head, Winry went down to the office of Garfiel's shop, picking up the telephone receiver and asking the operator to connect her to the Lucky Dragon Xingese restaurant. Maybe the ice box needed repair. She could offer to help with that, right? If Ed was going to keep eating there, she had to make sure he wasn't going to get sick off of it every time.

X X X


	8. Rise But Not Shine

**Title:** Rise But Not Shine

**Author:** S J Smith

**Rating:** Teen

**Summary: **Ed's still not feeling quite right.

**Disclaimer:** Arakawa owns all.

**Notes: ** N/A

* * *

"God." Ed opened his eyes staring up at the ceiling. His head still ached, but at least he didn't feel like his stomach was going to rise up his throat and crawl out of his mouth any more. Still, everything was sore and touchy, and he was pretty sure eating anything at this time was a bad idea.

It didn't excuse him from getting up, though. He had to rise and shine with the rest of the world – well, rise at least – and prove to Winry he was still alive. Groaning, Ed ran a hand over his sticky bangs, thinking he needed another shower before he could even attempt to present himself. Timing, of course, was everything – and this morning, it seemed like his was completely off.

"Edward!" Garfiel trilled, "I didn't expect to see you!" He was dressed in pink, the perfect spit curl on his forehead reminding Ed of the horrid little girl in the rhyme. "Are you feeling better?"

"Uh." Ed tried not to shift backward. Garfiel was a nice guy, sure, but a little too…touchy-feely, sometimes. "Shower!" he yelped, pointing toward the door to the bath. "I need one. I stink! Man." He waved a hand in front of his nose, making a face. "So if you don't mind." Edging sideways, he tried to keep an arm's length distance between himself and Winry's erstwhile master. When was she finishing her journeyman apprenticeship, anyway? Soon, right? And she'd be able to get a job somewhere, and maybe get out of Rush Valley.

Unless she decided to stay here. Ed tried not to roll his eyes at the idea. He'd have to talk to her, find out her plans. Find out if, maybe, he might be part of those plans. Right now, though, Ed thought he could almost see the stink rising off of his body. "Excuse me. It's really time for a bath."

"Enjoy yourself," Garfiel tittered, "or might you need Winry for that?"

The blush hit his face too hard for him to answer coherently.


	9. Puppy Love

**Title:** Puppy Love

**Author:** S J Smith

**Rating:** K+

**Summary: ** Two puppies are two too many.

**Disclaimer:** If I owned any of this, I wouldn't be living in Boxtown.

**Notes:** Thanks to D. M. Evans for her edits.

* * *

"We can't keep three dogs," she said, staring at the mess the puppies had made of her workshop floor. They'd tipped over the waste bin, shredding the papers inside. One of them had gotten hold of a screwdriver, evidenced by chew marks on the wooden handle. The rag rug would have to be replaced, though. At least her wires were safe, hanging from their pegs above the table, though the legs of the table were another matter entirely. "Nnnnn…puppies!"

They stared up at her with their beady black eyes and button noses and Winry half wanted to cuddle them, half wanted to yell. The cream-colored one wagged her curly tail, barking. The other one, almost a solid brown except for points of color on her eyebrows and muzzle, nearly vibrated off the floor. The mother dog sat patiently on their shared bed, set up in the corner of the room. "You're all very cute doggies," Winry said, "but so much work!"

"I agree," Mr. Garfiel said. "Even though they're darling." He scooped up the cream colored puppy, cuddling her. "You are, aren't you, pretty girl?"

"They're weaned," Ed said from where he stood in the doorway, brought there by Winry's barely restrained squeal of dismay. As if that was a cue, the brown pup ran over to him, attacking the cuffs of his pants above his bare feet.

Winry pretended she didn't notice how cute Ed's bare toes were. And his flesh toes weren't bad to look at, either, she mentally added. "Well…maybe Paninya could take one," she said, dubious. Paninya probably would do better with a cat. One that hung out in the window sill and on the roof. A puppy couldn't climb like that.

Leaning over, Ed scooped up the puppy, holding her against his chest. The pup immediately grabbed his braid, chewing on it and growling. "Captain Hawkeye might want another dog," Ed said. "I mean, she has the one already, and…."

If Ed could convince Miss Riza to take a puppy, that would mean someone would have to deliver the puppy and he might be gone for a while. Winry ignored the little twist of her heart at that idea. She scolded herself – Ed had been gone for years before he showed up here in Rush Valley, and she'd been fine without him. She would still be fine without him. "If Miss Riza does take a puppy, that still leaves us with two." Winry wanted to bite her tongue at saying 'us'.

"We can keep one. The momma dog." Ed nodded at her. "She's already housebroken, and she's a good dog." As if knowing she was being talked about, she thumped her tail on the floor, looking from Ed to Winry. "Besides, you need a dog."

"I heard that." Winry folded her arms. "You went from 'we' to 'me'."

Ed glanced sideways, grinning a bit. Winry thought if he didn't have his hands full, he'd probably be scrubbing at the back of his head. "Well. I mean, this is your place." His voice trailed off and Winry wondered what he was thinking. He'd been staying here with Mr. Garfiel and her for nearly six weeks, now. "Garfiel seems to like her, and all…"

Winry sighed. "Okay, so, if we," she emphasized the pronoun, "keep the momma dog, that still leaves a puppy. If Miss Riza agrees to take one of them."

"Tetsuo," Garfiel trilled. "He needs a puppy, and you know he'd take good care of her!"

It seemed like a good idea. "I'll talk to his mom," Winry said, "if you talk to Miss Riza," she pointed at Ed.

He nodded. "That means we need to find a name for our girl."

"Our girl." Winry sighed, turning her attention to the momma dog. Her ears perked and lowered, and she thumped her tail again.

Setting the cream puppy down, Mr. Garfiel headed for the door. Over his shoulder, he said, "Naming the dog - that sounds like a job for the parents!"

Winry pretended she didn't see the sheepish, hopeful grin Ed sent her way, thinking she really needed to have a talk with her boss and about the things he said where other people could hear them. Turning to the momma dog, she squatted down in front of her. "So, you need a name," she said. The dog offered her a cool paw that Winry accepted.

Ed walked across the floor, setting the brown puppy down. It promptly grabbed the edge of the bed, growling and tossing its head back and forth. "You're trouble," Ed said.

"Yeah, I don't want a puppy." Winry caressed the dog's head, "no matter how cute they are."

"So what about a name?" Ed bumped his shoulder into Winry's.

"I don't know." Winry turned her head enough that she could see Ed. "What do you think?"

"Well, she's a good mom," Ed said, as the puppy let go of the cushion to grab hold of her mother's tail. The dog nudged the pup away, rolling her eyes up at them both when the puppy resumed her attack. Ed picked the puppy up again, distracting it with his braid. He had to pitch his voice to be heard over her fierce growls. "'Baba' is Xingese for 'mother'."

Winry wrinkled her nose, not liking the sound of it. "We can do better than that," she said, mentally wincing at that 'we' again.

Ed grinned. "We'll come up with something." Standing up, he told the puppy in his hands, "Let's go call Captain Hawkeye, huh? And find out if she might want another dog." Hesitating, he asked, "Do you want to talk to her, too?"

She considered, wondering if she should talk to Miss Riza, about her concerns with Ed being back in Amestris, here in Rush Valley, underfoot and in her life, and decided that, no, that wasn't a conversation to be having just yet. "No, it's all right." She rubbed the dog's head again. "How about Rusty?" she wondered to the dog, studying the brindled stripes streaking her body.

The dog thumped her tail and nudged Winry, hoping for more petting.

"Rusty," Ed murmured, "well, I guess it's better than naming her after a watermelon."

Winry narrowed her eyes. "Go make your phone call, Ed." She pointed at the doorway, ignoring the way he laughed as he went through it. What had she known? Den was little and round and black when Dad had brought her home; and some of the local watermelons were about the same size and nearly the same color. It made sense to name Den after them, just like it made sense to name this dog based on her coloring, too. "Rusty," she tried out.

She thumped her tail again, letting out a soft bark.

"Yeah," Winry said, petting her new dog, "I think it'll do."


End file.
